"What's wrong with my wife's health?" Song Lingxiao asked urgently.
Both Shen Jingshuo and the Fu Doctor glanced at him. He felt a tightness in his chest, almost suffocating.
"The young lady has a weak constitution. Her foundation was already damaged by childbirth and overwork, and now with the drowning, she requires a long period of rest and recovery. During this time, she must not become pregnant again, or she may be at risk of postpartum hemorrhage."
"Is… is there anything else?" His voice trembled slightly.
"What else does the Marquis expect?" the Fu Doctor asked, puzzled. "This is the first time I've seen someone hoping for more illnesses."
Song Lingxiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "No, no, I'm just concerned about my wife's health. It's good that there's nothing else. When we return to the manor, I'll make sure she rests properly."
It seemed this Fu Doctor's medical skills were lacking—he couldn't detect the poison Shen Qingqing had been given.
On the carriage ride back, the shabby carriage made Shen Qingqing uncomfortable. She closed her eyes to rest, refusing to look at Song Lingxiao or speak to him.
"Why did you suddenly return to your family home without telling me?""
"Second Brother said Mother missed me. You weren't home at the time, so I came back on my own. Is the Marquis blaming me?" She immediately put on a hurt expression.
"No, no, how could I blame you? It's been a long time since you visited your maternal home. You should have returned."
"Why didn't the Marquis go to the Shen Family residence right after work?"
Her casual question put Song Lingxiao on high alert, though he maintained a calm demeanor. "I had drinks with friends last night and was worried about my appearance, so I didn't go. I could only visit early this morning. Are you upset, Qingqing?" He moved closer, reaching to adjust her hair, but she instinctively avoided him.
Song Lingxiao froze, sensing her resistance. It seemed she had changed since waking up after the drowning. Could it be…?
"Marquis, be careful of catching my illness. If you fall sick too, there will be no one to manage the Marquis Manor." Don't come near me, it makes me want to vomit!
His suspicions immediately vanished. Shen Qingqing was naive, even foolish—she couldn't have figured it out. Otherwise, the Second Young Master of the Shen Family wouldn't have been so polite at the Guogong Manor.
"Marquis, is Sister-in-law really not planning to remarry?" she suddenly brought up Yang Wanqing.
"What do you mean? Must you drive her away?" Song Lingxiao reacted strongly.
"Not at all. I meant that if Sister-in-law truly doesn't want to remarry, she should continue managing the household. That would allow me to focus on recovering during this time."
He felt somewhat embarrassed—he'd lost his temper too soon.
"She's a vulnerable woman. Remarrying wouldn't secure her a good match. It's better for her to stay at the Marquis Manor—we can afford to support her. Sister-in-law was deeply devoted to my elder brother and doesn't wish to remarry. Otherwise, my brother wouldn't rest in peace in the afterlife."
Afford to support her? Shen Qingqing nearly laughed aloud. Did he really think her dowry was the Marquis Manor's financial foundation? Without her subsidies, what would they use to support anyone? Beg on the streets to feed his sister-in-law? Such profound affection between uncle and sister-in-law!
Sorry to break it to you, but your elder brother isn't dead!
Just wait until he returns—it'll be quite a show!
"Qingqing, I need to go to the Academy," Song Lingxiao said as he dropped her off at the entrance of the Marquis Manor.
"Mm, go ahead."
Song Lingxiao was the Vice Dean of Honghu Academy—a prestigious position obtained through the Shen Family's connections.
Honghu Academy was one of the top academies in the region, producing many Recommended Men each year. Thus, Song Lingxiao had quite a number of disciples, which provided a solid foundation for his later advancement.
Upon alighting from the carriage and returning to the Marquis Manor, as soon as she entered the main courtyard, Shen Qingqing saw Song Xinyin wielding a whip and scolding Lvyun.
"Hurry up and crawl! If you don't crawl faster, you won't get any food!"
The little maid was kneeling on the ground, crawling forward. Her speed wasn't actually slow, but Song Xinyin was unsatisfied and continued to whip her. The girl remained silent, lowering her head as she crawled.
"Song Xinyin!" Shen Qingqing called out sternly.
"M-Mother!" Song Xinyin was startled, nervously hiding the whip behind her back.
Nanzhi went over to help Lvyun up and saw that the young girl's knees and palms were scraped and bleeding. Her eyes were filled with tears, but none fell.
"It's Xiaocao who was disobedient! Sh-She stole from me!" Song Xinyin stammered out an excuse.
"Stole what from you?" Shen Qingqing stared into her eyes and questioned.
Song Xinyin was clearly frightened, having rarely seen Shen Qingqing so severe, and was directly scared to tears.
"Stop crying."
However, Song Xinyin was spoiled. The more she was told not to cry, the harder she cried.
In her previous life, Shen Qingqing would have felt heartache, but now, her heart was as hard as iron, unmoved. She directly took the whip from Song Xinyin's hand.
"I'll count to three. If you keep crying, I'll whip you."
Although her tone was stern and her expression cold, Song Xinyin didn't believe her and continued to cry, even louder.
"Smack!" A whip landed on Song Xinyin's leg.
The crying stopped abruptly.
"Madam?" Nanzhi hadn't expected her to actually strike.
Song Xinyin's face was full of disbelief. After a dazed moment, she was about to cry again, but when she saw Shen Qingqing raise the whip once more, she immediately held back, pressing her lips together, not daring to let herself cry. Now she knew her mother would really whip her!
"Why were you bullying her?"
Lvyun looked at Shen Qingqing with fear, never expecting Shen Qingqing to stand up for her. But would the young lady beat her even more harshly in the future?
Just then, Yang Wanqing arrived.
"What's going on? Yin Jie, why are you crying like this?"
"Aunt! Mother hit me!" Song Xinyin immediately threw herself into Yang Wanqing's arms and started crying again.
"Qingqing, why are you hitting the child? Yin Jie is still so young. What if she gets hurt?" Yang Wanqing picked up the child and comforted her gently.
At first glance, it looked as if they were the real mother and daughter.
"I'm disciplining my child. Sister-in-law, you may not know that the rules for a legitimate daughter of a noble family are strict. Otherwise, it won't be easy to find a good marriage in the future. It's fine if you don't understand, but please don't interfere."
Yang Wanqing came from a humble background and knew nothing about the etiquette of prestigious families. These words clearly stung her.
"Yin Jie, what did you do to upset your mother?" she asked, wanting to clarify.
"I just taught Xiaocao a lesson, and Mother hit me!" Song Xinyin felt extremely wronged, clinging to Yang Wanqing's neck as she complained.
"Qingqing, it's just a servant, isn't it? Blaming Yin Jie over a servant—isn't that turning things upside down? A servant like this deserves to be beaten to death." Yang Wanqing looked at Lvyun with disgust. Lvyun, frightened, hid behind Shen Qingqing.
"I understand the mentality of those who suddenly come into wealth – having climbed to a higher branch, they're eager to shed their lower-class identity and inevitably grow to despise their former peers. However, such behavior would become a laughingstock if known publicly. No well-bred daughter from an established family would ever act this way."
Shen Qingqing turned to Song Xinyin. "Come here, follow me."
But Song Xinyin buried her face in Yang Wanqing's neck, pretending not to hear.
Shen Qingqing wasn't angered, speaking calmly instead, "If you don't come over now, you'll learn everything from your aunt from now on. Don't expect me to have any say in your marriage arrangements later."
How many suitable matches could Yang Wanqing possibly know? She'd struggle to arrange an equal marriage, let alone a superior one.
"Yin'er, go apologize to your mother immediately," Yang Wanqing promptly set Song Xinyin down and pushed her toward Shen Qingqing.